I got this off eBay about a week ago and just cleaned it up. Shape number 9490, not sure what to call it, square shank bent billiard I guess. This was my first pipe with a perspex stem. I did some reading on cleaning these, as it was pretty ugly with a lot of tar. I tried the safest, simplest method first with soap and water, but came up with an idea that worked quite well. I used bristle pipe cleaners with a little water and some Crest Pro Health Advanced, as it seems to have some slight grittiness to it. Wow, got almost all of it out in about 15 min. The airway has ridges in it that made it particularly hard to clean, and the only place that wouldn't come clean was in the sides of the bend. The pipe had a dark blotchy stain that took some effort to remove. I know the stain color I chose is probably not like the original, but I like the color, although it looks redder in the pics.
After reading what I could find on the Prehistoric line, it seems to be somewhere in the middle of their line. I'm not sure of the age of this pipe with that shape, but because of the brass rondel, it has to be before 1980 I believe. Looking forward to smoking it!
After reading what I could find on the Prehistoric line, it seems to be somewhere in the middle of their line. I'm not sure of the age of this pipe with that shape, but because of the brass rondel, it has to be before 1980 I believe. Looking forward to smoking it!